Coverin' The Spread

An Intuitive Sports Blog Coupled with an Effective and Affordable Pick Service

Archive for category Columns

Why College Football Needs Boise State to Beat Virginia Tech

Sep 3

Posted by CTS in Columns, Football | 1 Comment

It’s hard to imagine but one half of the BCS title game could be decided on Labor Day. The Boise State Broncos could very well be walking out of FedEx Field Monday night having to simply hold serve the rest of the season to reach Tempe and the national title game.

Following Virginia Tech, the two toughest games left on the Bronco schedule are a home game versus 24th ranked Oregon State and a road match-up in late November at Nevada.

Oregon State, an 8-5 club from a year ago, has to replace its’ offensive leader in first team All-Pac 10 quarterback Ryan Canfield. Behind Canfield in ’09, the Beaver passing attack ranked 27th in the nation, two spots higher than Kellen Moore and the dynamic passing attack of the Broncos.

Now Oregon State must depend on sophomore Ryan Katz to help continue the offensive success the Beavers experienced under Canfield. Tailback Jacquez Rodgers will surely help the first year starter, but I don’t see the offense putting up the kind of points to match a Beaver defense that was 84th overall in pass defense in ’09.

Oregon State has lost four straight September games versus ranked opponents and I fully expect Kellen Moore to exploit the shaky OSU pass defense and win this game handedly on the smurf turf.

The next toughest challenge on Boise States’ 87th ranked schedule comes two months later when the Broncos visit Nevada on November 26th.

The Wolfpack will have an even tougher time than OSU in slowing down Boise’s Heisman candidate quarterback. In ’09, Nevada ranked second to last in the entire NCAA in pass defense giving up 298 yards a game through the air.

Nevada was a 15 point favorite in their Hawaii Bowl finale versus SMU in the Mustangs’ first bowl game in 25 years. Although Nevada was the biggest favorite of the 2009 bowl season, they lost by the largest margin. In that game, Nevada allowed freshman quarterback Kyle Padron to complete 78% of his passes for 460 yards, an SMU record for passing yards in a game.

If a freshman quarterback can light up the Wolfpack defense for 460 yards, I’m sure Kellen Moore will have little problem doing the same.

So once again, if Boise State can go into an extremely hostile environment in front of 80,000+ and defeat a very good tenth ranked Virginia Tech team, they will more than likely be playing for a national title in January.

I am in no way saying that this will be an easy game for Boise State, but did Alabama step into the BCS title game by beating a seventh ranked Virginia Tech team in their opener in Atlanta last season? Absolutely not.

Unlike some critics, I in no way blame the Broncos for this. Boise State has consistently scheduled the best team that would actually play them year in and year out trying to make up for their pathetic WAC schedule. Boise is opening up at Virginia Tech this season and at Ole Miss next season. Neither school is returning the favor and visiting Boise the following year.

This situation is not Boise’s fault. The blame for this lies on the NCAA.

Many people, myself included, feel Boise State has no business playing in the national title game by beating just two top 25 opponents. This number has a great chance to beat cut in half if TCU takes care of business against Oregon State Saturday at Cowboys Stadium.

This would not be a problem if the NCAA had a a playoff.

With a playoff, college football fans would get to see how Boise State does week in and week out against the top programs in the nation.

One game is one game. Anything can happen in one game and that is no way to determine a national champion. College football needs to see these Davids play Goliath in consecutive weeks to see how tall they really stand.

Yes, Boise did win the one BCS bowl game they played versus a BCS opponent. All it took was a fourth and 18 conversion via a hook and lateral on the final play of regulation followed by the statue of liberty play on a two point conversion in overtime for a one point Bronco victory over Oklahoma.

That was one game. What if Boise had to play another top 10 opponent the following week? Would the result be the same? Unlikely.

The rigorous schedules teams in conferences such as the Big Ten and the SEC play, take their toll on a team and every week presents its’ own problems. 11 of 12 SEC schools have a top 50 schedule compared to Boise whose schedule ranks at the bottom of the pack at 87. To throw in TCU for arguments’ sake, the Horned Frogs have the 93rd ranked schedule in college football according to college football guru Phil Steele.

A team like Boise may play two games this season that they could actually lose. A team such as Alabama, Ohio State, or Florida have six or seven games that present possibilities of an “L”. Next, if an Alabama, or an Oklahoma, or a Florida club are fortunate enough to survive their brutal schedule, then they are rewarded with a conference title game versus a team that is likely in or hovering around the top 10.

College football needs Boise State in the national title game. Whether the Broncos pull off another exciting victory such as they did in the Fiesta Bowl in ’08, or they get annihilated by a bigger, faster, stronger BCS school, it doesn’t matter. People outside Idaho will be upset enough either way that it will force the NCAA to think long and hard about a playoff system.

College football has been yearning for an end of the year tournament to decide its’ champion. Every other collegiate champion is determined this way and its’ time for the NCAA to do the same with football. A third trip in four years to Tempe by the Broncos might just be what college football needs to speed up the inevitable.

-scf

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, & the X-Factor in the Race for the First Triple Crown in 43 Years

Aug 30

Posted by CTS in Baseball, Columns | 1 Comment

Every few years before the All-Star break, a slugger has a big first half and triple crown talk gives way. By August, a triple crown seems like a distant memory. The hopeful who was likely leading one or two of the three categories in June, has either slumped, been pitched around, or just simply not had the luck required to accomplish this amazing feat.

This season that was Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera, who is currently hitting .342 with 33 home runs and a major league leading 107 RBI’s, hasn’t slowed down one bit since his hot start. He is still being pitched to, still hitting for average, and still cranking the long ball that has allowed him to drive in over 100 runs before the month of September. Unfortunately for Cabrera, Toronto RF Jose Bautista has had a career year and continues to belt bombs at an alarming rate with a major league leading 42 dingers.

That’s the luck part of the equation. If Cabrera played in the National League, he would have a commanding lead in RBI’s, batting average, and would be just three jacks shy of Albert Pujols in the home run category.

Luckily for Albert Pujols, his St. Louis Cardinals are in the NL and he doesn’t have to contend with a Bautista, a Cabrera, or even a Josh Hamilton for the league lead in any such category. Enter Joey Votto.

Votto, who is currently battling the Machine for league MVP and NL Central supremacy, has become a household name in 2010 with his production at the plate. Votto is currently second in the NL in all three triple crown categories and is in striking distance of first in each one. Votto’s .325 average, 32 jacks, and 93 RBI’s are currently .001 behind the NL leader in batting and three dingers and two RBI’s behind Pujols in homers and RBI’s.

For the first time in recent memory, September rolls around with not one, but two legitimate contenders for the first triple crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1973 and the first NL triple crown winner since Joe Medwick accomplished the trifecta in 1937.

One would be likely to assume that if the triple crown is not accomplished in 2010, it will be simply because one beat out the other in the final category lacking. While this may end up being the case, another player in the National League has a say so in the race for baseball immortality. Not only does this player have a say so, he may actually acquire the whole triple crown for himself.

Who is this third contender in the race for the great triple crown you ask? Say hello to 24-year-old Carlos Gonzalez. In his first full season in the big time, Gonzalez quietly leads the NL in batting with a .326 average while belting 29 home runs and driving in 90 RBI’s for a Rockies club that is battling for the NL Wild Card.

While Cards and Reds fans are fearing that the youngster will win the batting title and prevent their hero from the triple crown, don’t count this kid out of winning the triple crown all on his own. Five RBI’s behind Pujols for the league lead and six behind Albert in homers, it isn’t inconceivable that Gonzalez has a power surge in September and gives both Votto and Pujols a serious run for their money.

With both the Cards and the Reds in a pennant race, Votto and Pujols could see less and less pitches as the season winds down leaving the door wide open for Gonzalez. While six home runs is still a sizable lead for Pujols over Gonzalez in the bombs department, Gonzalez still has 17 games remaining at the launching pad they call Coors Field.

Both Gonzalez and Pujols had their best months of the season in August setting up for a thrilling September. During the month of August, Pujols blasted 12 homers, batted .412, and drove in 24 runs. Gonzalez was not far off pace, leaving the yard nine times while batting .378 and also driving in 24 runs. Votto had a fabulous month of August as well batting .322 with 21 runs driven in, but fell off the home run pace of Pujols sending just five balls out of the park. If Pujols and Gonzalez have the type of month in September that they did in August, baseball could have an extremely intriguing final series as the Rockies visit the Cardinals in the final week of the season.

Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, and Carlos Gonzalez are in a tight race heading into the last month of the season. The Machine, the Canadian, and the youngster are all chasing a feat that hasn’t been achieved in their league in 73 years and in all honesty likely won’t be done this season. But if just one of these players can stay hot, healthy, and acquire the right amount of luck, we could maybe, just maybe, see an epic feat that many of us have never witnessed in our lifetime.

-scf

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Early Bird Gets the Champ? Road Blocks to Tempe Come Early for the Tide

Aug 27

Posted by CTS in Columns, Football | 7 Comments

Usually for the Alabama Crimson Tide, the meat of the schedule usually begins the third Saturday of October with a match-up versus the Tennessee Volunteers. After Tennessee, big SEC West match-ups follow with LSU and the annual Iron Bowl match-up versus in-state rival Auburn. These are the games that usually define the Tide’s season. Not this year.

This year the the rebuilding Vols are pushed back to the fourth Saturday of October to make room for the true tests on the Tide’s 2010 schedule. In a span of 29 days the Tide have match-ups versus Penn State, Florida, and trips to Arkansas and South Carolina.

Three of the these four teams are in the top 20 and South Carolina just missed the top 25 finishing fourth among the ”Others receiving votes” in the Associated Press.

Many would believe that LSU or Auburn could give the Tide trouble but don’t count on this happening.

LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson returns to lead an LSU offense that totaled less than 4,000 yards in ’09 ranking the Tigers 102nd in the NCAA in total offense. Les Miles chose this off-season to retain offensive coordinator Gary Crowton to the chagrin of many Bengal fans and to the delight of the rest of the SEC.

The buzz down in the Plains in Auburn is all centered around JUCO transfer and former Florida quarterback Cameron Newton. While Newton should be an upgrade at quarterback over Chris Todd, I do not see the Auburn offense having the success they did last year finishing thirteenth in the nation on offense and third in the SEC, just 29 yards behind the Tide.

Auburn played their best game of the season last year at home against Alabama and still came up short. In that game Auburn scored on a 67 yard end around and a 72 yard touchdown pass, both easily the two biggest plays the Tide defense gave up all season long. The other Auburn touchdown was set up by an onside kick recovery. Last but not least, Heisman winner Mark Ingram had his worst performance of the season rushing for just 30 yards on 16 carries. All of those occurrences and the Tigers still fell short at Jordan-Hare Stadium nonetheless. The Tigers trip to Bryant-Denny this season should not be as fortunate so look for Nick Saban and the Tide to roll over Auburn in front of 102,000 screaming Tiger haters.

So with the month of November being as easy as it will ever be for the Tide, what’s to stop them from winning the SEC and getting to Arizona for a chance to defend their BCS title? Answer: Five weeks of intense competition in September and October with a visit to Duke sprinkled in. Here is a list of four of the Tide’s early season opponents and why they could give the champs trouble.

September 11 /Penn State/ Tuscaloosa, AL

Why Penn State Could Win: Tailback Evan Royster. Behind Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, Royster will be the most feared offensive weapon the Tide should face all season long. The past two seasons, Royster has rushed for over 2400 yards making him a preseason Heisman contender in 2010. The Crimson Tide returns only three players off arguably the nation’s best defense last season, one of whom is returning from a torn ACL in linebacker Donte Hightower. If the Nittany Lions want to upset the Tide, they will have to get a huge performance out of Royster.

Why Alabama Will Win: While Evan Royster returns for a Penn State squad that finished their 2009 campaign ranked eighth in the nation, he may have some trouble repeating the success of his sophomore and junior seasons. Not only did the Nittany Lions graduate half of their offensive line, they lost their offensive leader in quarterback Darryl Clark. Last season Clark threw for over 3,000 yards and had 24 touchdown passes as he lead Penn State to an eleven win season and a bowl win over LSU.

The real concerns for Joe Pa and Penn State in this game lie on the defensive side of the football. Penn State lost the heart of their defense in LB Sean Lee who was a second round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys. Along with Lee, Penn State lost five other starters on a defense that gave up 12.2 points a game ranking third best in the nation. On the other hand, Alabama’s offense returns Heisman winner Mark Ingram along with seven other returning starters and sophomore sensation Trent Richardson who will be splitting carries with Ingram in 2010. Look for Alabama to control the clock and dominate this football game.

September 25 /Arkansas/ Fayetteville, AR

Why Arkansas Could Win: Arkansas returns 10 starters on an offense lead by Heisman hopeful Ryan Mallet. In Mallet’s first year in Bobby Petrino’s offense, the Michigan transfer lead the SEC in passing throwing for 732 more yards than the conference’s second leading passer Tim Tebow. Mallett was also fifth in the nation with 30 touchdowns and only threw seven interceptions in 403 attempts. The Hogs are tough to beat at home dropping only one game last season in Fayetteville, a 52-41 shootout loss to Georgia in the second week of the season.

Why Alabama Will Win: While Arkansas does return seven starters on defense, that may not necessarily be a good thing. The Razorbacks ranked 89th last season in total defense in Division 1 and ranked 99th in pass defense. While most teams will put eight men in the box this season to try and contain Alabama’s vaunted rushing attack, Arkansas likely will have to take its’ chances with the two best running backs in the SEC and leave an extra man back deep. In last season’s 35-7 blowout loss to the Crimson Tide, Bama QB Greg McElroy had arguably his best performance of the season. In the win, the first year signal caller completed 17 of 24 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Now, with 13 more games of experience under his belt, McElroy is more confident allowing Bama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain to not lean so much on the run game. I expect McElroy to have another big game as Bama wins a high scoring affair at Razorback Stadium.

October 2 /Florida/ Tuscaloosa, AL

Why Florida Could Win: The Gators may have lost Tim Tebow and many of his weapons in Brandon James, Aaron Hernandez, and Riley Cooper on offense but that doesn’t mean the Gators will have trouble scoring points. Florida returns four experienced offensive lineman who are all seniors to go along with a trio of backs who could rival any backfield in the nation in Jeff Demps, Emmanuel Moody, and Chris Rainey. Alabama returns just one player, Marcel Dareus, from the front seven that dropped Texas in Pasadena. While Tim Tebow will not be under center for the Gators, the player who broke his Florida high school record of 98 touchdown passes will be in redshirt junior John Brantley.

Why Alabama Will Win: In last season’s SEC Championship game, the Florida defense gave up 26 first downs, 490 yards of total offense, allowed Bama to convert on 73% of third downs, and were on the field for 40 minutes. What has changed since ’09? Little on Bama’s O and the best players on Florida’s D are now playing on Sundays. Joe Haden, Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Spikes, and Major Wright are all in the NFL with their buddy Carlos Dunlap who missed the title game in Atlanta. Bama’s offense will be even harder to slow down in ’10 and while I think the Gators will be able to score some points, there’s no way the Florida defense has any chance of stopping the Bama offense. If Florida is to have any chance of defeating Alabama, they will have to wait for a third consecutive SEC title game match-up versus the Tide when the defense is a little more experienced.

October 9 /South Carolina/ Columbia, SC

Why South Carolina Could Win: The last three seasons the Gamecocks are 16-4 in games played prior to October 15th. After the middle of October South Carolina is a horrendous 4-14. The Gamecocks always play well at the beginning of the season and are a tough match-up whenever they are at the Cockpit. Luckily for Spurrier and his Gamecocks they get the number one ranked Crimson Tide early in the season and in Columbia. South Carolina will field a very experienced team in 2010 with nine starters returning on offense and eight on a defense that ranked 22nd in the nation in points against.

Why Alabama Will Win: While South Carolina does return eight starters on an above average defense, they lose the two players that made that defense special in DE Clifton Geathers and LB Eric Norwood. Last season, even with the two NFL guys on D, South Carolina allowed Mark Ingram to have his biggest game of the year as the sophomore carried the ball 24 times for 246 yards, an average of 10.3 yards a pop. Alabama will have the same game-plan again this year and it will take eight or even nine men in the box for the ‘Cocks to stop Ingram and Trent Richardson. Bama beat the Gamecocks last season 20-6 despite one of their sloppiest performances of the season. Greg McElroy was held under 100 yards passing and had two picks to zero touchdowns. This was McElroy’s only SEC game in which he failed to throw for at least 120 yards and I don’t see South Carolina being able to contain the Bama passing game again this year, especially with what Ingram did to the defense last season.

-scf

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NFL Quarterback Power Rankings 2010

Aug 25

Posted by CTS in Columns, Football | 2 Comments

1. Peyton Manning – Manning is coming off his NFL record fourth MVP in ’09, returning all of his weapons, and is looking for a new contract that could keep him a Colt for life. Scary to think but Manning is primed for one of the best seasons of his career.

2. Drew Brees - I guess you can say 2009 was a decent year for Brees with 34 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, over 4300 yards, a QB rating of 109.6, and a Super Bowl ring. Now if he can only do it all again in ’10.

3. Tom Brady – Brady hasn’t lost a step since coming off knee surgery in ’08. The only reason Tom Terrific sits at number three is because of the seasons Brees and Manning had in ’09.

4. Aaron Rodgers – My pick for league MVP in 2010. Rodgers has his first playoff game under his belt, an overtime loss to Arizona in which the fifth year pro was 28-42 for 423 yards, a pick, and 4 TD’s. Look for Rodgers to get his first playoff win in ’10 and make everyone in Wisconsin forget about his predecessor.

5. Philip Rivers – Rivers is coming off back-to-back 4,000 yard seasons but continues to struggle in the postseason. Rivers has a postseason career passer rating of 79.2 compared to a career regular season rating of 95.8. If Rivers ever wants to be mentioned among the elite QB’s of the game, he will have to start winning in January.

6. Ben Roethlisberger – While it’s hard to put a two-time Super Bowl winning QB out of the top four, Big Ben will only have 10-12 games to get Pittsburgh back into the postseason for a shot at number three.

7. Brett Favre – Sorry Favre fans but Brett’s 7 interceptions and 107.2 QB rating he recorded last season likely won’t happen again in ’10. In the previous four seasons Favre had 79 interceptions with a QB rating of only 80. Those numbers coupled with an iffy ankle and an absent Sidney Rice for half the season do not fair well for the soon-to-be 41-year-old.

8. Eli Manning – Eli had the best season of his career in ’09 throwing for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. Manning has the most underrated receiving core in the league and Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nix are primed to have big seasons alongside veteran Steve Smith in ’10.

9. Tony Romo – There is little difference between a guy like Romo and Philip Rivers. Both are great regular season quarterbacks, both have the most talented skill positions in their conference, and both struggle in January. The biggest difference between the two is that Rivers has three postseason victories compared to Romo’s one.

10. Matt Schaub – Matt Schaub threw for over 3,000 yards in ’09 and that’s only if you don’t count the NFL’s leading receiver Andre Johnson’s yards. If the Texans can get any sort of a running game going in ’10, Houston has a great shot of making the postseason for the first time in the franchise’s history.

11. Carson Palmer – Palmer may have the hardest job in the NFL this season with the self-proclaimed “Batman and Robin” splitting out wide. Minus Trent Edwards, QB’s have had great success with Terrell Owens in Owens’ first season and look for Palmer to do the same. What happens after the 2010 season is anyone’s guess.

12. Donovan McNabb – Not saying that Kevin Kolb won’t be a solid signal caller, but trading McNabb to the Redskins and facing him twice a year could quickly make Philly fans realize how special of a player they had for 11 years.

13. Joe Flacco – Flacco and the Ravens are thinking Super Bowl in 2010. Last season Flacco threw for over 3,600 yards and 21 touchdowns to lead Baltimore to an 11-5 regular season and a playoff victory over Tom Brady and the Pats in Foxboro. The addition of Anquan Boldin could be just what Flacco and the Ravens’ offense need to get over the hump and challenge Indianapolis for a spot in Cowboys Stadium in February.

14. Matt Ryan – After an absolutely incredible rookie season in ’08 that saw the third overall pick throw for 3,440 with just 11 picks and a playoff appearance, Ryan suffered in ’09 from the proverbial sophomore slump. A healthy Michael Turner returning to the Atlanta offense should take much of the load off Ryan this season and and allow the Falcons to battle the Saints for the NFC South crown.

15. Vince Young – Last season Young took an 0-6 Titans club to an impressive 8-8 record after he took over for Kerry Collins following a 59-0 defeat at New England. Young has a very inexperienced receiving core with second year pro Kenny Britt and rookie Damian Williams, but Young likes his chemistry with Britt and expects big things from the pair in 2010.

16. David Garrard – One of the most underrated QB’s in the game today, Garrard is actually coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2009. The Pro Bowl was probably the only game in which anybody actually saw Garrard play as all of his games in Jacksonville were blacked out locally. Garrard has thrown for over 7,000 yards the last two seasons with just 23 interceptions combined.

17. Chad Henne – Fins owner Stephen Ross said this off-season that Chad Henne could go down as the greatest QB in Miami’s history. I’m not sure if he’ll be quite as good as that Marino fellow but the addition of Brandon Marshall gives Henne and the Dolphins a legitimate chance at a Lombardi trophy in the near future; something number 13 never accomplished.

18. Matt Hasselbeck – Don’t give up on Hasselbeck just yet. Last season Hasselbeck broke his ribs in week 2 and played through that pain for the majority of the season. In just 14 injury riddled games, the 3x Pro Bowler still threw for over 3,000 yards and new coach Pete Carroll should breathe new life into the 34-year-old in 2010.

19. Jay Cutler – Very few quarterbacks in the league have the upside that Cutler does. The addition of Mike Martz as offensive coordinator only increases this upside. Now if only we could all forget about Cutler’s 26 interception season of ’09.

20. Matt Moore – It will be very intriguing to see what Moore can do in a full season under center. In five games as the Panthers starting quarterback last year, Moore went 4-1 with a QB rating of 103. With Steve Smith being the only proven pass catcher on the roster, Moore will not give you many fantasy points but should prolong the Jimmy Clausen era in Carolina for at least the 2010 season.

21. Kevin Kolb – The verdict is not yet in on Kevin Kolb. The fourth year pro has only 130 attempts so far in his brief career as Donovan McNabb’s backup but you have got to think Andy Reid knew what he was doing when he let his trusted quarterback take his talents to D.C. With a talented group of young receivers in Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, don’t be surprised if Kolb and the Eagles challenge for a playoff spot in the NFC.

22. Jason Campbell – A new start was exactly what Campbell needed and was looking for. Too bad the coveted fresh start is in Oakland. Nonetheless, a huge upgrade from JaMarcus Russell.

23. Kyle Orton – Orton had the best season of his career last year throwing for 3800 yards and 21 touchdowns. Now we get to see how Orton performs without the safety net of Brandon Marshall. 

24. Matthew Stafford - How can anyone succeed taking over a 0-16 squad? Stafford proved last season that he has the leadership, toughness, and many of the intangibles to be a Pro Bowl quarterback in this league. With Calvin Johnson as his primary target for years to come, look for Stafford to be in the Pro Bowl sooner rather than later.

25. Matt Cassel – Cassel was sacked 42 times last season ranking fourth in the NFL. In 2008 with New England, Cassel lead the entire NFL in sacks with 47. If Cassel is ever going to be a legitimate starter he will have to learn to stay on his feet.

26. Alex Smith – After missing the entire 2008 season, Smith played well after taking over the starting duties from Shaun Hill completing 60% of his passes with a 3-2 touchdown to interception ratio. This will be the first season of Smith’s career in which he won’t have a new offensive coordinator which should bode well for the former number one overall pick.

27. Matt Leinart – After Monday’s lackluster preseason performance against the Titans, Leinart blamed his poor play on the Titans’ blitzes. Hate to tell you Matt, but blitzes are part of the game. If you can’t beat the blitz, you can’t play quarterback in the NFL. That probably has a lot to do with why the former first round pick is challenging Derek Anderson for the starting job.

28. Trent Edwards – The subtraction of T.O. and the addition of C.J. Spiller should make things a little easier for Edwards in 2010. Lee Evans is still one of the best receivers in the game.

29. Mark Sanchez – With all of the hype the Jets are getting coming into the 2010 season, it seems like everyone is forgetting who their quarterback is. In Sanchez’s rookie season he threw for only 12 touchdowns with 20 interceptions for a QB Rating of just 63 on a team good enough to go to the AFC Championship game. If the Colts play their starters in week 16 and eliminate New York from the playoffs, I believe people would have a different opinion on the Jets and Sanchez.

30. Josh Freeman – Hard to judge a rookie quarterback on a poor team but Freeman showed flashes at times last season in wins versus the Packers and the Saints. As good as Freeman was in those couple of games, the rookie still threw 18 picks in nine starts.

31. Jake Delhomme – What have you done for me lately is a popular saying in the NFL. Delhomme followed his six interception playoff game in ’08 with a ’09 season of 18 picks to just eight touchdowns in eleven starts. Good luck in Cleveland, Jake.

32. Sam Bradford/ A.J. Feeley - Too bad for Sam that A.J. hurt his shoulder Saturday night. An inexperienced offensive line coupled with the worst receiving corps in the league suggests that the best spot for Bradford this season is on the bench. Good thing for Sam that head coach Steve Spagnuolo has since said Feeley will remain the starter despite the injury.

-scf

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Market Success: 6 Puny Payrolls (& The Yankees) Sit Atop Their Division

Aug 19

Posted by CTS in Baseball, Columns | 1 Comment

The New York Yankees’ 2010 payroll is $206,333,389 with the average player making over $8.25 million this season. New York has more than double the payroll of 22 of the remaining 29 ballclubs and more than triple the payroll of seven other teams. Not one of the other seven clubs who has a salary of over $100 million currently sits atop their division.

The Minnesota Twins are the biggest spenders, besides the Yankees, that lead their division. How much are the Twins spending this season you ask? $97 million which ranks them eleventh in the majors. As a matter of fact, the only other division leader that can come close to the Twins payroll is the Braves and they have shelled out $84 million this season ranking them right in the middle of the pack at fifteenth in the bigs.

A-Rod, Jeter, Tex, & CC: $101 Million Combined in '10

The NL Central leading Reds are next in line with a payroll of $72 million ranking them nineteenth. Following the Reds is the club that is tied with the Yanks atop the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are twenty-first in MLB with a payroll just under $72 million, more than $134 million less than their AL East counterpart New York.

Last but not least we go to the 27th highest payroll and the 29th highest payroll. That would be the Texas Rangers and the San Diego Padres. Yes, they too sit atop the AL and NL West respectively. These two clubs combine for a payroll of just under $94 million. That $94 million would make up just 46% of the Yankees payroll and couldn’t even pay the salaries of Rodriguez, Sabathia, Jeter, and Teixeira. Those four overpaid stars combine for a salary of over $100 million in 2010.

So why all the success? Why can’t the Cubs or the Mets have this kind of success with a combined payroll of $278 million? First of all, K-Rod isn’t helping things for the Mets and we saw what the Cubs did with Derek Lee trading him and his $13 million salary to Atlanta Wednesday.

The reason for the success is a farm system approach of grooming players and making the right moves when it was time to clean house.

Teams like the Cubs and Mets are littered with players such as three $19 million men in Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, and Carlos Beltran. That’s almost $60 million that has gone to waste this season between those two ballclubs with all three players in extreme decline.

The press has applauded the Twins for years now as they have been able to have much success mainly through their two minor league products, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. The new M&M Boys each have their own AL MVP award and just recently the Twins were able to sign Joe Mauer to an eight year extension for the hometown discount of $23 million a year. That may not sound like much of a discount but that’s $10 milliona year less than A-Rod for a 27-year-old catcher with triple crown potential.

Teams such as the Reds and Rays have built up their team through their farm system as well and have refused to overpay free agents.

The Reds best pitcher and best hitter were both brought up through the farm system and because of it, Cincinnati is only paying Johnny Cueto and Joey Votto under $1 million combined in 2010. Moves like this have allowed Cinci to acquire key pieces to a championship such as 3B Scott Rolen and closer Francisco Cordero who makes more dough than anyone on the big red machine with a 2010 salary of $12 million.

Price & Longoria: $2.8 Million Combined in '10

The Rays are the best example of developing players through the farm system in order to obtain a smaller payroll. Arguably the three biggest stars on the team, (Evan Longoria, David Price, and B.J. Upton), all made their MLB debuts in Tampa Bay and in 2010 they will combine to make only $5.8 million.

The Padres and Rangers were fortunate enough to trade coveted, high-priced players in order to obtain the pieces that make up their success today.

At the trade deadline in 2007, the Rangers traded 1B Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves for four prospects and C Jarrod Saltalamacchia . While Saltalamacchia’s stay in Texas wasn’t half as long as his name, the Rangers did acquire Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Elvis Andrus in the deal. In 2010, Harrison and Feliz have anchored a great Texas bullpen and Elvis Andrus is so good that he’s moved Gold Glove winner Michael Young over to 3B and the 21-year-old is batting .276 doing it.

Arguably the Padres’ two most important players, P Clayton Richard and 1B Adrian Gonzalez, were acquired through the trades of P Adam Eaton to Texas in ’05 and the trade of Cy Young winner Jake Peavy to the White Sox at the trade deadline last season.

Clayton Richard, who was involved in the Peavy trade, is 11-5 this season for San Diego with a 3.69 ERA and a measley salary of $423,700. Peavy is currently 7-6 with a 4.63 ERA and a $15 million salary. Advantage: San Diego.

This small market success is not uncommon. The Yankees and the Red Sox are the only two teams of the past decade to win a World Series title with a payroll over $100 million.

In 2003, the Florida Marlins and their miniscule payroll of $48.7 million were able to defeat the New York Yankees and their payroll of $125.9 million. I am not saying that the Padres or the Reds can do the same thing as the Marlins, but stranger things have happened. Money sure doesn’t hurt, but it also doesn’t guarantee a thing in today’s game of baseball balance from top to bottom of the payroll rankings.

-scf

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sorry College Football Fans: 10 Reasons why the NFL’s the Best

Aug 17

Posted by CTS in Columns, Football | 1 Comment

College football fans are some of the most loyal, passionate, hardcore fans there are on the planet. In places such as the Deep South and pretty much any part of Texas, football is a religion and the number one topic 365 days out of the year. For those of you in the regions that fit this category and all major college football fans across America, I respect you but I have to break something to you: the true entertainment is on Sundays.

I’m sure the Deep South category is appalled at the fact that anything can be more popular than their beloved Razorbacks, Volunteers, or Crimson Tide. That being said NFL waters do not run very deep in the south between teams such as Jacksonville, Tennessee, or Carolina. In football crazy towns such as Dallas and New Orleans, where you have to go blindfolded in order to avoid seeing an LSU or Texas fan every four seconds, the Cowboys and the Saints reign supreme when it comes to importance and popularity. Ask any LSU alum who hails from the Big Easy what was bigger: 2 LSU BCS Championships or the Saints winning the Super Bowl? That would be a no-brainer in favor of who dat.

NCAA fans are going to argue with things such as tradition, crowd noise, marching bands, Lee Corso, and being able to dress like JT Bowtie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrfUKZ1BGUQ) while being accompanied by a straight 10 who is at least four points out of your league while getting obnoxiously hammered on bourbon cheering on a bunch of fellow classmates you’ve never met before all while trying not to ruin your favorite pair of team-colored slacks.

While that sounds like a heck of a good time, there is a reason the Super Bowl’s ratings will always blow the BCS Championships’ ratings out of the water. There’s a reason that the Cowboys/Bengals preseason game was watched by three times as many viewers as the nationally televised Red Sox/Yankees game during August in a pennant race. There’s a reason why as much as you think you hate the three year daily coverage of the Brett Favre saga, you continue to watch and continue to discuss how much you hate it. In fact, there are plenty of reasons why the NFL is more popular than college football. Here are 10 of them.

1.  Rules – College football is way too lenient with their rulebook. The NCAA allows only one foot to be in bounds, first downs stop the clock and there is absolutely no celebration whatsoever. A perfect example is an official throwing a flag on Washington QB Jake Locker for throwing the ball up in the air after scoring a game-tying touchdown in the last minute against a ranked and favored BYU club in 2008. The touchdown put the Huskies within one point of the Cougars but because of the 15 yard celebration penalty by Locker, the extra point attempt was blocked by BYU and the Cougars escaped Husky Stadium with a 28-27 victory.

2.  Schedule – There are no gimmes in the NFL, period. The only conference that can say their conference has no gimmes is the SEC and even the mighty Crimson Tide has San Jose State, Duke, and Georgia State on their schedule in 2010. Nick Saban’s B Team would beat each one of these squads by four touchdowns without even breaking a sweat. In the NFL, every Sunday is a test and there is not a single game that can be penciled in as a W. Last season the 1-15 St. Louis Rams were one play away from defeating the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints as Mark Bulger’s game-winning TD pass fell incomplete in the end zone at the buzzer. NCAA fans will site Appalachian State as an example but what fans tend to forget is that Michigan suffered their worst home loss in the history of the program the following week as Oregon blasted the maze and blue 39-7. Also, in the NFL teams get to play each of their rivals twice a year and if the teams don’t happen to be in the same division, the NFL is going to schedule the two teams to meet. A perfect example is that the Patriots and Colts will face each other this year for the eighth straight season. One of college football’s most storied rivalries, OU/Nebraska, do not even play in the same conference and even when they did they still didn’t face each other every season.

3.  Cheerleaders – In the NCAA the cheerleaders wear sweaters and long sleeves and half of them are not even girls! The NFL has professional dancers who wear close to nothing even when the temperatures are near freezing and are always facing the fans. No chants or cheers or boys in the NFL; just beautiful women getting paid to stay in shape and look good for the camera.

4.  Monday Night Football – Seriously, do I really have to list reasons why MNF is better than Thursday Night football? As the ads say “Everyone watches on Monday Night”. Thursday nights are filled with teams who just want to be on television so they schedule their game for Thursday so a small percentage of the nation will get to see their school. Half of the viewers watching some midseason ACC or Big East match-up on Thursday night are watching solely because they have a gambling addiction and think they can get a jumpstart on the weekend by throwing down cash on NC State or South Florida. MNF is where the real action is and what football fan do you know that isn’t watching on Monday Night? Last but not least, could you imagine Hank Williams Jr. inviting all his rowdy friends over for Thursday Night? I didn’t think so.

5.  Overtime – The sudden death system, as flawed as it may be, is a much more entertaining overtime than the college game. In the NFL the game could end on any play so every fan is constantly on the edge of their seat. Not only that, but the NFL actually plays real football with kickoffs, punts and the whole shebang. Starting on the 25 yard line is no way to play football and much less exciting. Touchdowns are not near as big of deal in the college game. Fans are much more excited on a defensive stop than they are on a 20 yard touchdown pass. Also, in the NCAA many games seem to be never ending with 5, 6, and even 7 overtimes on occasion. Now that the NFL has adjusted their playoff overtime rules where you can only be beaten by a touchdown instead of a field goal, there is no debate on which overtime is the best.

6.  Fantasy Football – Fantasy Football is a $1 billion a year business that millions of Americans play every season. Research suggests that anywhere from 19-27 million people play fantasy football in a given year. This number is so broad because everyone from ESPN to FOX to CBS to Sprint to Yahoo offers fantasy football leagues. Fantasy Football is a great way for fans to stay intrigued long after their favorite team has been eliminated from postseason contention. Fantasy owners are able to get excited for a week 17 Detroit/Tampa Bay match-up that they would otherwise not even check the score for. While some argue that it’s hard to root for a player on your fantasy team if he’s facing your real team, that doesn’t seem to bother many fantasy owners. This sure doesn’t bother Redskins tight end Chris Cooley who plays in four different fantasy leagues as an NFL player.

7.  Hard Knocks – HBO’s series Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets is the most intriguing show on television for sports fans. Hard Knocks gives football fans an inside look at an NFL training camp from the rookies to the coaching staff to the executives and even to the un-drafted long shots who are leaving it all on the practice field trying to make an NFL roster. ESPN has a similar type show with a weeklong all-access look at the Alabama Crimson Tide. The main difference between the two shows is the storylines. ESPN gives the viewer no looks at position battles, family and off the field life, or rookie/freshman hazing. HBO gives the viewer all of this and more. Everything’s included from the Jets’ fullback position battle to Darrelle Revis’ holdout and contract dispute to Rex Ryan being fined every time he indulges in his pile of snacks and treats. Because Hard Knocks is on HBO, the viewer also gets to listen to real “coach talk” as every F-bomb Ryan drops is heard while ESPN cuts to a different shot every time Nick Saban becomes angry.

8.  Quality of Play – This may be the main reason why Sundays are better than Saturdays. The players in the NFL are bigger, faster, and stronger. The hits are harder, the play is crisper, and the total speed of the game is much faster than any match-up between college powerhouses. College football can have its’ option offenses and power running attacks. That kind of stuff doesn’t work in the NFL. There are no defensive ends in the NFL who a team can run the option at nor is there a rushing attack powerful enough to hide its’ quarterback. In the NFL all of your flaws will be exposed and offensive and defensive coordinators alike must counter those flaws, not hide them.

9.  Playoff System – In the NFL, teams play for the right to go to the championship. In college, teams are voted on then put into a computer to determine who should play in the biggest game of the year. What is that all about? Forget the “Plus 1” or any other idiotic system the NCAA can think of to prevent playing more games to determine a champion. A playoff system is used by every major pro sport and even the NCAA uses a playoff system for its’ baseball, soccer, hockey, and basketball champion. So why not football? Almost the entire month of December is left wide open so why not fill those weeks in with playoffs? The Big 10 season is often finished before Thanksgiving leaving some teams idle for six full weeks before getting to play in a bowl game. There is no excuse for this. The NFL Playoffs is the most exciting month of the year for me, and nothing in sports beats championship Sunday. The two biggest football games of the year are played on the same day to see who gets to play in the Super Bowl. I could only imagine how great a final four could be in college football. This is one thing the NCAA must fix, and fix fast.

10.  Super Bowl – You know what the best thing about the NFL Playoffs is? That’s right the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the year in any sport in the western hemisphere and everyone watches. For all of you college football fanatics who think that college ball is still better than pro ball, here’s some numbers for you. During the 2010 BCS Championship game between two longtime college football powerhouses, Texas and Alabama, 28.5 million Americans watched the Tide roll to its’ thirteenth national title. A few weeks later in a Super Bowl between two small market teams in Indianapolis and New Orleans, 106.5 million Americans watched Tracy Porter and the Saints win their first Super Bowl in the franchises history. 78 million more Americans watched the NFL’s big game over the NCAA’s big game. More people even watched the Super Bowl last year than watched the final episode of M-A-S-H in 1983. That should put the issue of NFL vs. NCAA popularity to rest. Sorry college football fans but you just can’t beat the NFL.

-scf

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Both Sides of The Coin: Fame vs. The Numbers

Jul 27

Posted by CTS in Columns, Football | No Comments

It’s impossible to turn on the TV or check twitter without reading or hearing about the recent uniting of Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, or as they like to put it: Batman and Robin.

It has certainly made for great discussion for the talking heads on ESPN, talk radio, blogosphere and twitterverse. Why wouldn’t it be?

You have the two loudest receivers of the past decade, who also happen to be two of the best. Both have television shows on VH1, “The T.O. Show and “The Ultimate Catch.” Both have been known to callout teammates, make for emotional and entertaining interviews, and both are very active on the celebrities favorite social network, twitter.

Man, I can’t wait to watch them play together. Great personalities and they are two of the top receivers in the league.

Well, not so much.

They were two of the best receivers in the league of the past decade, emphasis on past.

When you look at the other side of the coin -the numbers – you begin to realize this situation is great for pre-season discussion and entertainment, but I’m afraid that’s where it stops. When you examine the numbers or actual production, this doesn’t make business sense.

Let’s begin with the better of the two, the younger 32-year-old Ochocinco. Last season he was 26th in receptions behind names like Brent Celek of Philadelphia and Davon Bess of Miami. His yardage wasn’t much better at 20th overall, and he only made the top-10 in one major category, touchdowns, and he was tied with a few others at number 10.

Now to the 36-year-old T.Old, as Skip Bayless likes to put it. He didn’t even crack the top 30 in any major category. He was 48th in receptions, 33rd in yards, and 39th in TD’s. Not to mention, he has seen his numbers slide for the past four years. That has to be embarrassing for the front office of Cincinnati.

The same front office who has already addressed the glaring problem of 2009: more receivers. The Bengals acquired Antonio Bryant from the Buccaneers and used three of their nine selections in the 2010 draft to take receivers. Two of their top three were TE from Oklahoma Jermain Gresham and WR from Texas Jordan Shipley. They went on to select previously-hyped Dezmon Briscoe of Kansas in the 6th round, who saw his stock fall only because of injuries. The Adam Shefters of the world were giving them praise for an impressive offseason.

But apparently a good offseason wasn’t enough. The front office was persuaded by three of the most important figureheads in the Bengals organization: their quarterback, number one receiver and head coach. Well Palmer, Ochocinco and Lewis are all putting their reputations on the line for this likely failed marriage.

I think Skip Bayless said it best on twitter on Monday by responding to Chad’s tweet about calling himself Robin and T.O. Batman. Skip so eloquently said:

RealSkipBayless @OGOchoCinco: If you’re Robin, T.Old is Alfred.

-rew

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,